Lionel Messi has revealed that his emotional reaction to Argentina's stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the World Cup last-16 was driven by a mix of relief and frustration over his missed penalty. The defending champions were on the brink of elimination at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, trailing 2-0 after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, before a 13-minute fightback turned the game around.
Missed penalty adds to Messi's World Cup woe
Messi had a golden opportunity to equalise in the 21st minute after Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled in the box, but his spot-kick was comfortably saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. This miss added to Messi's poor penalty record at World Cups, now four misses from eight attempts. The frustration was evident on his face as the weight of the miss sank in.
Despite the setback, Argentina rallied. Cristian Romero headed in a goal to reduce the deficit, followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez and Messi himself in the 83rd minute to complete the comeback. The victory secured Argentina's place in the quarter-finals, where they will face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia.
Messi explains tears of relief
Speaking in the mixed zone after the match, Messi said: 'We suffered a lot again. But this is the World Cup and all the matches are very close, so I'm very happy.' He elaborated on his tearful celebration, stating: 'It was a relief for everyone. It's not easy to come back from 2-0 down, but this group never gives up; they fight until the very end. We were lucky to get Cuti's [Romero] goal early on, we were able to turn it around and we won in 90 minutes.'
Messi admitted his penalty miss haunted him: 'I was really frustrated about the penalty, for missing it and taking it badly. If I had scored that penalty, it would have changed the game. We had clear chances and the goalkeeper made some incredible saves. It's very special to help this group after what had happened internally.'
Scaloni emotional after dramatic win
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was also overcome with emotion, later joking that his players call him 'the cry baby' in the dressing room. 'I always get emotional,' he said. 'Sometimes the tears come out. The tears came in the dressing room too. The boys even call me "the cry baby", but I don't care. For all of us who played soccer for 20 years, to feel what we felt today again is incredible. I think most coaches who played soccer become coaches because of days like this, because of those emotions, that adrenaline.'
Messi's World Cup goal tally rises
Messi's 83rd-minute strike took his goal tally to eight at the 2026 tournament, one clear of France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner now has 21 goals in 31 World Cup appearances, two more than Mbappe's 19 in 19 games. Argentina will continue their title defence on Sunday against Switzerland or Colombia at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas. A win could set up a semi-final clash with England or Norway.
